Hi All,
This is why you should have a clearly defined, comprehensive and
publicly available Selection Criteria that is part of your Collection
Development Policy that is signed off each year buy your
Principal/School Board. This is where you advertise your expertise and
the methodology you employ to develop the collection within the
constraints of your particular school context.
The following link from CMIS Evaluation has some great information and
templates you can use for the selection of multiple formats.
http://www.eddept.wa.edu.au/cmis/eval/library/selection/index.htm
:)
BC
@ Your Library
Barbara Combes, Lecturer
School of Computer and Information Science
Edith Cowan University, Perth Western Australia
Ph: (08) 9370 6072
Email: b.combes@ecu.edu.au
"Whatever the cost of our libraries, the price is cheap compared to that
of an ignorant nation."
This email is confidential and intended only for the use of the
individual or entity named above. If you are not the intended recipient,
you are notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this
email is strictly prohibited. If you have received this email in error,
please notify me immediately by return email or telephone and destroy
the original message.
-----Original Message-----
From: School Library Media & Network Communications
[mailto:LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of David Lininger
Sent: Friday, 11 February 2005 11:38 PM
To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: [LM_NET] Select/censor
"But, if our selection policy states something like 'librarian uses
review sources such as x journal, y book, and z's collection '
our choices may be limited by what those sources chose to review. If our
policy doesn't explicitly state that we are not limited to books from
those sources or if in the crunch of time we don't research areas we
personally are not familiar with, we could be missing alternate points
of view that provide balance."
If a selection policy limits the librarian to only certain reviews the
selection policy needs to be revised immediately. Better wording would
be "the librarian shall make use of available review sources, such as,
but not limited to, ...."
"2. How do these magazines support the curriculum and raise student
achievment?"
While not everything in the library has to support a specific class, I
would suggest that most items ought to relate somehow to the various
classes offered in the school. Yes, there is a place for materials that
support only outside interests, but that is not the primary purpose of a
school library.
"6. The irate parent shows up that wants to know why this stuff is in a
school library --- their tax dollars shouldn't pay for this trash. What
does this have to do with reading, writing, and math -- that is what
they are at school for."
Oh, to have such parents! All to many parents see the school as simply
an inexpensive baby-sitting service - but that's another day's rant.
"Or how much would our 'professional judgment' be swayed by 'concern
about parent complaints' by racy cover on a GN, a title such as
_Godless_, or knowing that Levithan's latest was the subject of a
complaint, successful or not, a few towns down the road?"
"7. The parent that shows up and says you disciplined my child for using
bad language but you have this stuff in the school library."
Our professional judgment ought to include consideration of how
something will be perceived by the community as a whole. One racy cover
on one issue of a magazine shouldn't be cause for alarm, but several in
a row might be. The same can be said about foul language. One word in a
250 page novel isn't a problem, but 10 per page is.
We need to remember, too, that this thread originally was about whether
or not a particular magazine was appropriate for middle school. A
magazine that is appropriate for high school students may not be
appropriate for middle school, and what is appropriate for middle school
might not be appropriate for high school. Part of the selection process
is deciding whether or not something is appropriate for YOUR students
and YOUR community. Something that wouldn't raise an eyebrow in a NYC
middle school might cause a riot in a high school here in rural
Missouri. Today's Farmer probably wouldn't get much use in NYC, but each
copy here is worn out before the next one arrives.
--
David Lininger, kb0zke,
MS/HS librarian
Hickory County R-1 Schools
Urbana, MO 65767
417-993-4226
tss003 at mail.connect.more.net
--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.8.7 - Release Date: 2/10/05
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In
the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------
All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law.
To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu
In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL
3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation.
LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/
Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/
EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/
LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
LM_NET
Mailing List Home